Sheet-metal-press system



Aug. '1'9 1924.

. P. ,1. SMITH SHEET METAL mags SYSTEM 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 6.

INVENTOR Jim W fro um m Aug. 119. 1924.

P. J. SMITH SHEET METAL PRESS SYSTEM Filed Dec. 6, 1921 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WM m T III U Aug. 19, 1924. I 1,505,814

P. J. SMITH SHEET METAL PRESS SYSTEM Filed Dec. 6, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTR fl e m Patented Aug. H9, 1924,

mural) STATES P A T E EAUL 3'. SMITH, 0F WEEK-LING, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR T0 WHEELING STAMPING COMPANY, OF WHEELING, WEST mantra, A CORPQRATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

SHEET-METAL-PRESS SYSTEM.

Application filed December 6, 1921. Serial No. 520,26$.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, PAUL J. SMITH, a

citizen of the United States, residing at l/Vheeling, in the county of Ohio and State of West Virginia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sheet-Metal-Press Systems, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation showing one form of my invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view partly broken away showing the transfer chutes and parts of the machines;

Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevation showing the belt transfer mechanism;

Figure 4- is a partial plan view of the second machine;

Figure 5 is a side elevation partly in section showing parts of the second machine;

Figure 8 is a cutting knife of the second machine;

Figures 7, 8 and 9 are detail sections showing the respective forms of the cap after the successive operations;

F i re 10 is a vertical cross section through the movable blank supports of the second machine.

My invention relates to the forming of caps or similar articles of sheet metal and is designed to cheapen their production and reduce the number of operators where successive operations on successive machines are employed.

In the drawings in which I show a type of apparatus for forming screw-theaded aluminum caps, A indicates the first machine, B the second machine and C the third machine.

Heretofore in the forming of such articles an operator has been necessary for each machine, and the blanks were carried from machine to machine. The machines illustrated are in their general structure well known machines and the first and third machines are of well known construction throughout. ll will therefore only describe the first and third machines so far as is necessary to illustrate my invention, which relates particularly to the automatic transfer of blanks from one machine to an operating position at the next, and to the control of at least two of the machines from a single point. In my system only one operator is necessary instead of three and the blanks are transferred automatically from one machine to the next.

The first machine has a treadle control 2, this treadle also acting to start and stop the second machine B through the connections shown at 3, the foot lever being fulcrumed at a. When the operator pushes down on this foot treadle it acts through suitable clutch mechanism to start both the first and second machine into action and when the foot treadle is released and raised, they stop.

The first machine acts to stamp from a sheet of aluminum the blank shown in Figure 7. The operator places the sheet on the lower die marked 5, pushes down the foot treadle and the upper die 5 is. forced down cutting and stamping out the blank of Figure 7. The plunger or die 6 then rises and the treadle is released, the operator moving the sheet so that the next operation of the machine will out and form another blank on again depressing the spring-lifted foot treadle. When the plunger rises, an automatic ejector forces up the cut and formed blank from the lower die. This ejector is not shown, as it is a common and well known adjunct of such machines.

7 indicates an air main. Through it air flows under pressure to the pipe 8, from which branch pipes 9 and 10 lead to presses A and B. When the plunger of the press A rises, the blank out and formed from the sheet and released by the ejector is blown by the blast of air issuing from the side orifice of the valved pipe 9, into an enclosed downwardly inclined chute 11. As indicated in Figure 2, the rear upper or cover portion of this chute is preferably slotted, as shown at 12. This slot is out to full width of the chute for a short portion of its length, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, and a slide cover 13 can be moved back from over this portion, thereby giving access to the chute for extracting any jammed caps. As the operations take place successively, a row of caps will move down through the chute 11, and the blanks of the row come successively into the range of air jets issuing from the jet pipes 14 and 15, to which the air is fed through pipe 10, which preferably has a valve control, as shown at 16. This jet or jets blows the last cap forward into the pair of hinged holders 17, shown in detail in Figures 4 and 10. Each of these holders is pivoted on a stem 18, as shown in Figcap from passing beyond the mandrel andto hold it in operative position until forced down by the cutting or trimming die.

The upper die of this machine B is formed in two parts, the outer part 21 acting as a cutter, while the inner part 22 fits the base of the blank- When the plunger of the B machine descends as a whole it swings the holders downwardly and apart and forces the blank down onto the die or mandrel 23. The inner plunger 22 then stops and the outer plunger 21 moves on to cut off the lower flange a of the blank of Figure 7, thus forming the blank shown in Figure 8. When the upper plunger of the machine rises, the spring holders rise and lift the blank into position where the blast from the jet 15 will drive the blank into an inclined chute 25. The cut flange remains around tl. stationary plunger or mandrel 23, and as. these out, annular flanges move down one on top of the other under successive operations, the lower ones will be forced down upon the cutting knife 26, thus splitting them into halves, the halves being blown by air from the jet pipes 27 into a discharge chute 28.

The successive caps passing down by gravity and under the air blast through chute 25, which preferably has a slotted top for inspection, drop upon an inclined belt conveyor 29. This conveyor passes over pulleys on shafts 3O ard 31 and may be driven, by pulley 32 on one of these shafts. The upper part of this belt acts to carry the caps successively to and discharge them into the mouth of a downwardly inclined chute 33. To insure their proper movement down through this chute, I also preferably pro-' vide an air pipe 34 having a valve-controlled ]et 35, from which a blast enters the chute 33 through a slot at 36.

The machine C is of well known type having rollers 37 and 37 which form a screwthread on the cap. This machine, including the chute 33, may be of the ordinary type, one roller being moved away from the other after each operation; but I preferably provide an air valve jet outlet 38 which will blow the threaded caps into a chute 39, leading to a receptacle 40. y

The machine C is preferably driven continuously although it may be arranged in In normal operation, the blanks that the work goes ahead automatically except for the control of one workman. One or more workmen are thus dispensed with, as well asthe hand transfer of the blanks. In actual operation, the machine saves considerable labor and cost.

The machines may be placed otherwise than in the rear of each other, as shown, since the chutes may extend in different directions, the air blast being arranged accordingly. The operations of the successive presses 'may be other than those shown; other sheet metal articles may be formed; and other changes may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A press system having at least two press devices provided with a common control for stopping and starting, and a channel arranged to lead the blanks from one machine to the next, and an air blast device for removing a blank from one of the press devices and delivering it to said channel substan tially as described.

2. A stamping machine having a die and a die plunger a channel arranged to lead blanks to a position between its dies, and a movable support for the blanks arranged to check the movement of the delivered blanks, center the blanks and be automatically displaced when the plunger moves, substantially as described.

3. A press arranged to cut annular mate rial from a blank, the press having a mandrel provided with a stationary knife cutter arranged to underlie and support the annular scrap and successively cut the annular scrap material into separated pieces upon the accumulation on the mandrel of a predetermined amount of scrap, substantially as described.

4. A press system having a plurality of presses arranged to act in succession on a blank, a common control for starting and stopping said machines, a channel leading from the operating mechanism at the various stations and feeding the blanks from one station to the next by air pressure, and means at one of said stations for stripping the blanks substantially as described.

6. A machine system for making screwthreaded caps, comprising a plurality of operating stations and a threading station arranged in series, automatic mechanism for ejecting the blanks from the operating mechanism at the stations and feeding the blanks from one station to an operative position at the next station and from the last operating station to the threading station, and means at one of said stations for stripping the blanks substantially as described.

7. A sheet metal press having means for operating on a blank, an automatic feed for said press, and means having a fixed mounting relatively to the press for stopping a blank delivered by said feed and supporting the blank in position to be operated upon by said first mentioned means, said second mentioned means stripping the blank from the press after press action thereon, substantially as described.

8. A sheet metal press having means for operating on a blank, a movable holding device having a fixed mounting relatively to the press and adapted to receive and hold a blank independently of said means, and a feeder arranged to feed successive blanks into the holding device, the holding device also acting to strip the blank from said means after action thereon, substantially as described.

9. A feeder for sheet metal presses, comprising a chute, a resiliently mounted holder in alignment with said chute and having lower supporting means and upper centering means, and means for feeding a blank through said chute into said holder, substantially as described.

10. A feeder for sheet metal presses, comprising a chute, a swinging holder in alignment with said chute and having resiliently mountedlower supporting means and upper centering means, and means for feeding a blank through said chute into said holder, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

PAUL .1 SMITH. 

